A MULTIMODAL APPROACH
TO WRITING
Reading and Writing with Technology
Kim Flachmann
The Basic Premises
Our students are reading and writing now more than
they ever have before—in the form of email, text
messages, blogs, Web sites, and Nings.
Students are surrounded by all forms of media daily:
ads, music, videos, Podcasts, eBooks, photos.
Granted, these forms of communication are
abbreviated and often superficial, but this is where
we need to start.
Reading and Writing
Readers and writers need to work together to make
meaning.
Teaching students how to read and write as part of a
continuous process is essential to their success in
these two skills.
Students will benefit from practicing the full
integration of reading and writing.
Critical Thinking
Students need to progress from literal to interpretive
to analytical thinking.
No matter what form of communication we use as a
vehicle, we can teach analytical or critical thinking.
Critical thinking is an essential component of
succeeding in college.
Critical thinking leads to close reading, which leads
to “deeper” learning.
Active Reading
Students learn best from participating as fully as
possible in their reading and writing.
We remember 10 percent of what we hear, 20
percent of what we read, and 80 percent of what we
say and do.
So our students will learn most effectively if we
actively involve them in the material.
Active reading also promotes “deeper” learning.
WPA Outcomes
Rhetorical Knowledge
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Composing
Processes
Knowledge and Conventions
Teaching an Essay
Traditional Apparatus
+
Technological Resources
+
Multimodal Assignments
Prereading
Approximately how many “friends” do you have? Do
they fall into different categories? How many are you
close to? What purpose do the others serve in your
social network?
Why do so many people socialize on the Internet?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of this
type of networking?
Do you enjoy hearing stories about other people’s
lives?
Author Biography
Michael Rogers is a “futurist-in-residence” at the
New York Times Company, where he writes articles
on media and technology. He also runs a speaking,
writing, and consulting business called “Practical
Futurist,” which he founded in 2004. He was
previously the technology guru at Newsweek and vice
president of the new media division at
the Washington Post. His article “What Evolutionary
Psychology Says about Social Networking” was
originally published in an MSNBC column on
September 10, 2007.
ESSAY
WHAT EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY SAYS
ABOUT SOCIAL NETWORKING
by Michael Rogers
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20642550/ns/technology
_and_science-innovation/t/how-social-can-we-get/
Vocabulary
digerati: the elite of the computer industry and
online communities
widgets: mini computer applications
blogosphere: all blogs and their interconnections
Paleolithic: a prehistoric era distinguished by the
development of the first stone tools
hominids: a primate of a family (Hominidae) that
includes humans and their fossil ancestors
Literal/Interpretive
Questions
This essay focuses on both causes and effects. Write out the essay’s
thesis, and list the causes and effects connected with that thesis. Then,
circle the real causes. Does the author put more stress on causes or
effects? Why do you think this is so?
What do you believe the author means when he says, “Facebook . . .
might become the new Internet” (para. 1)? According to the
information in this article, how realistic do you think this prediction is?
What does the timeline of social networking sites tell us about our
instinctive need to gossip? According to Michael Rogers, in what ways
is gossiping about relationships a basic necessity of human existence?
Robin Dunbar claims, “language evolved as a way to maintain and
identify social relationships” (para. 6). What do you think he means by
this statement?
Analytical Questions
Based on the information in this essay, what is the relationship
between evolutionary psychology and gossip? Which is the
cause, and which is the effect?
How are grooming and social networking related? What other
social processes are involved in this relationship?
According to Dunbar, understanding their place in the “group
hierarchy” (para. 4) was extremely important to the primates. Is
this process still important today? What is the role of this
process in human communication in our world today?
What is Rogers implying in this essay about the future of social
networking?
Rhetorical Questions
Rogers uses several analogies or comparisons in his first two
paragraphs. List these comparisons, and then discuss which ones
you find most effective.
The author introduces Robin Dunbar early in the essay and then
quotes him throughout the essay. What does Dunbar’s expertise
add to Rogers's argument?
What does Rogers’ s reference to celebrity journalism contribute to
the essay?
The author ends his essay with a series of questions that ask us to
consider whether or not we are redefining human communication
and our role as social creatures. Is this an effective ending to this
essay or not? Add one more question to his list of inquiries.
Projects
Podcast/DVD/Video: In a medium of your choice, make your own
statement about the importance of social networking in today’s world.
Web Site: Design a fictitious Web site that explains the most important
aspects of human communication and why they are important.
Blog/Wiki/Ning: Start a Blog, Wiki, or Ning conversation about how
social networking helps us learn “why we are the creatures we are
today” (para. 3). Then write your own commentary on the reasoning
behind the thread of responses that occurred.
Research: Read and summarize the three resources below . Generate
one specific question from each resource that focuses on cause/effect
reasoning. Then answer one of your questions in a documented essay,
consulting these and other sources as necessary.
Resources
Web Site
International Network for Social Network Analysis: www.insna.com
Under the About SNA tab, click on the What is Social Network Analysis link
Academic Article
“Alone in the Crowd: The Structure and Spread of Loneliness in a Large Social
Network” by John T. Cacioppo, James H. Fowler, and Nicholas A. Christakis
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 97.6 (2009): 977–991
Audio/Video
YouTube: www.youtube.com
Search: “The Business of Social Networks” by Rocketboom
Click on the Video link
Teaching a Cartoon
Traditional Apparatus
+
Technological Resources
+
Multimodal Assignments
Prereading
When did you read your first entire book? What was
it?
What books and magazines have you read recently?
Do you like to read? Why or why not?
Author Biography
Roz Chast is a staff cartoonist for the New Yorker, to
which she has contributed over a thousand cartoons
since 1979. Her most recent book is Theories of
Everything: Selected, Collected, and Health-Inspected
Cartoons, 1978-2006. She also illustrated The Alphabet
from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z written by Steve
Martin.
CARTOON
http://www.cornwalllibrary.org/Chaz_Read_at_your_own_risk.gif
Vocabulary
pasteurized: cleansed of harmful microorganisms
sterilized: sanitized
homogenized: made of the same consistency
throughout
Literal/Interpretive
Questions
What role does cause and effect reasoning play in
this cartoon?
What is the general tone of this cartoon?
Which of the messages in this cartoon is most
humorous to you? What makes it funny?
Why would someone want books that are
“pasteurized, homogenized, and sterilized”?
Analytical Questions
How do the signs on the windows explain the name
of the bookstore?
Where do you imagine this storefront might be?
What in the drawing brings you to this conclusion?
In what ways are the signs in this cartoon similar to
signs in other stores? What is the reason for these
types of signs?
What is the significance of the sign on the door? Is
that the most effective place for
Rhetorical Questions
What do you like or dislike about the cartoonist’s
artistic style?
What does the woman in front of the bookstore add
to the cartoon?
Which of the cartoonist’s artistic elements attract the
most attention? Why do you think this is so?
How do the different types of handwriting on the
signs help make the cartoon funny?
Projects
Script: Develop this cartoon into a conversation between two or
more people talking about reading.
Billboard: Design a billboard with your own message about the
benefits of reading.
Survey/Essay: Develop a questionnaire about people’s reading
habits. Phrase your questions so you can discover the reasons
behind these habits. Then write up the results of your survey for
your class.
Research: Read and summarize the three resources below .
Generate one specific question from each resource that focuses on
cause and effect reasoning. Then answer one of your questions in a
documented essay, consulting these and other sources as
necessary.
Resources
Web Site
Internet Archive: www.archive.org
Explore the many public domain works you can download for free or
view on the Internet
Academic Article
“Cartoon Violence and Freedom of Expression” by David Keane
Human Rights Quarterly 30.4 (2008): 845–875
Audio/Video
National Public Radio: www.npr.org
Search: “‘Reading Rainbow’ Reaches Its Final Chapter”
Click on the Listen Now link
Teaching a Graph
Traditional Apparatus
+
Technological Resources
+
Multimodal Assignments
Prereading
What do you know about the oil industry?
What different types of power does oil generate in
the U.S.?
How do you personally rely on oil in your daily life?
Author Biography
This article was written by a team of contributors at the
McKinsey Global Institute, a subdivision of McKinsey &
Company, a worldwide management consulting firm
whose global managing director is Dominic Barton . The
Institute, which is the company’s economics research arm,
studies global markets, consumption, productivity, and
the impact of technology on the world economic
marketplace. Graphics for the article were created by
Katherine Yester, a designer at Foreign Policy Magazine .
The article first appeared in the September-October 2009
issue of Foreign Policy Magazine.
GRAPH
GRAPH
Kinsey Global Institute
Vocabulary
OPEC: Organization of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries; a group that protects the interests of
countries that export petroleum
tar sands: naturally occurring mixtures of sand or
clay, water, and an extremely dense and viscous form
of petroleum called bitumen
Literal/Interpretive
Questions
This series of graphs tells a very complex story about the
oil industry. Explain Graphs 1 through 5 in your own
words.
According to the information here, what are the main
reasons oil prices increase? What causes them to decline?
What does the author mean by the phrase “When GDP
growth returns” (Graph 2)? What is the significance of this
statement in reference to the price of oil?
According to these graphs, how do OPEC quotas affect oil
prices?
Analytical Questions
How can the world reduce its demand for oil? Explain the
primary actions required based on the graphs provided
here.
Once economic growth returns, when will demand for oil
catch up to supply (Graph 3)? What will make this happen?
What does the number 4,015,000,000 refer to in Graph 5?
What are the consequences of this number in the oil
industry for the year 2020?
Why could the world see a rapid spike in oil prices in the
near future? Explain the reasons for this increase.
Rhetorical Questions
How does the visual layout of these graphs help you
understand them?
In your opinion, which types of people and organizations
would be most interested in the information in these
graphs?
Which of the graphs do you think is easiest to understand?
Why?
What does a graph accomplish that another format could
not? In your opinion, is this the most effective way of
displaying such information? Explain your answer.
Projects
Blog/Wiki/Ning: Find more information about world oil production, and
enter an existing Internet conversation about oil. Exchange at least five
posts with others on the site. Print your conversation for class
discussion.
YouTube Video: Research one of the causes or effects associated with
oil prices and create a brief YouTube production about your findings.
Make sure your video shows a clear relationship between one specific
market variable and the current price of oil.
Graph/Essay: Choose one of the predictions for 2012 in Graph 6, draw a
hypothetical Graph 7, and write an essay explaining your graph.
Research: Read and summarize the three resources below . Generate
one specific question from each resource that focuses on cause/effect
reasoning. Then answer one of your questions in a documented essay,
consulting these and other sources as necessary.
Resources
Web Site
American Petroleum Institute: www.api.org
Academic Article
“Causes and Consequences of the Oil Shock of 2007-08” by James D.
Hamilton
Brookings Papers on Economic Activity Spring (2009): 215–261
Audio/Video
History.com: www.history.com
Search: “Oil Drilling Ships”; click on the Modern Marvels Video link
Summary
A multimodal approach to writing starts
with the students’ interests.
It teaches students close reading of both
visuals and texts.
Close reading is a habit of mind that will
transfer with your students to other
courses.
Close reading leads to “deeper” learning.
Contact Information
Kim Flachmann
Writing Program Coordinator
California State University, Bakersfield
kflachmann@csub.edu